Why Didn't I think of that?

A.H. Brown holds 11th Annual Tour of Tables event

The A.H. Brown Public Library in Mobridge invited 270 people to dinner for their 11th Annual Tour of Tables this spring. Library Director Karla Bieber reported, "It was a great event. We didn't have any matching funds this year but we still raised over $4000."

The Tour of Tables begins with the library asking volunteers to sign up to host a table. Hosts each develop a theme for their table and invite their dinner guests by selling tickets. The event is held in the gym of a local church and for the last few years has been catered by the cooks from the school. Each table host also donates an item to be raffled off during dinner.

Bieber noted that the themes are always new and very creative which is part of the fun of the evening. For example, the staff of the library hosted "Under Construction" because they are anxiously waiting for the new addition. Safety cones and caution tape marked the beginning of the (table) project. Starting with the blueprint table cover to the heavy machinery decorations many of the items needed for the addition were found on the table. The plates and eating utensils were wood, the napkins were safety orange, the napkin rings were PVC, the coffee mugs were covered in duct tape, and the place cards were created from wood blocks and nails.

The library's teen group, the Brown's Youth Trustee Ensemble (BYTE), hosted a "Retro is In" table for their guests. From the tie-dyed tablecloth and up everything about this table was about the 1970's. The dishes were multi colored and the table was accented with flowers and beads. Lava lamps served as centerpieces.

Community member Michele Yellow Boy spent a little time "Monkeying Around" with her table. The sock monkey originated in the 19th century and continues to remain popular. Since 1920 the directions to make your own sock monkey have been on the back of the Red Heel brand package of socks. The manner in which sock monkeys are made and the materials used today remain largely unchanged from the original. The table itself had a brown/orange tablecloth covered in everything sock monkey — the plates and decorations included. Michele even had a handmade sock monkey as an honorary guest at her table,; who went home with some lucky person sitting at the table.

Another community member, Sheila Frey, arranged a table that was just what the doctor ordered — "Dr. Seuss" that is!! Everything that is whimsical, everything that is magical, everything that is colorful and fun that can be found within the pages of Dr. Seuss was on the table. Who has not thought of eating green eggs and ham at least once?

Washington Elementary School holds "Go Green" Book Swap

Washington Elementary School students in Pierre participated in their first book swap in early May. Parents Kara Hughes and Jennifer Littlefield started the project in an effort to encourage kids to keep reading during the summer and to get books to students who do not have a lot of resources at home.

Each classroom was given a box to collect books that students brought from home. All of the books were gathered at the end of one week and counted. "There are about 250 kids at Washington School and we were hoping that each student would be able to take home 1-2 books. Instead, we collected over 1,600 and every student was able to choose 5 books," said Jennifer Littlefield. "The response was outstanding. Many teachers commented on how excited the kids were to pick out their books."

First Lady Linda Daugaard came in the morning to see the book swap. She helped Mrs. Johnson's fourth grade class choose books, talked to the students about different authors, and what they thought about some of the books. "We knew Mrs. Daugaard was a big supporter of getting kids to read and we decided to invite her to the book swap," said Kara Hughes. "We were very excited that she said yes. The kids had a great time talking with her."

Students choose books they could read, their parents could read to them, or books for their younger siblings. "The number of choices was a bit overwhelming for the younger kids but everyone did a great job helping each other find books,” commented Littlefield. By the end of the day there were about 100 books left over. Those books will be shared with the students at McKinley Elementary School. The day was a great success and Hughes and Littlefield hope to hold another book swap next year.

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